• Firdaus Studio by AR Rahman to be built on Expo site and will remain post-event
  • Facility will boost Dubai’s arts credentials as an international music recording hub

DUBAI – Expo 2020 Dubai has announced a world class music recording studio that will become a permanent facility as part of its legacy plans in the future city of District 2020 – and the first project to make use of the studio will be Expo 2020’s all-female orchestra.

The Firdaus Women’s Orchestra (Firdaus means ‘Paradise’ in Arabic) will be creatively led by renowned Bollywood and Hollywood composer and songwriter AR Rahman, who will mentor the musicians and compose music for the orchestra’s inaugural performance, as well as putting his name to the new studio.

The Firdaus Studio by AR Rahman and the orchestra are both part of ambitious plans to push Dubai and the UAE as an international hub for music recording and score production, further expanding the city’s important role as a cultural centre where people of all nationalities come together to work and live together in harmony.

The Firdaus Women’s Orchestra will bring together 50 talented women musicians from across the UAE and wider MENA region to create a unique musical project that will benefit from the state-of-the-art facility, which will serve as the orchestra’s rehearsal base.

The orchestra will feature women of a variety of ages and backgrounds, and will draw on inspiration from the UAE and region’s centuries-old rich musical traditions that have used instruments such as the oud, rebaba and darbuka.

It will perform music of a top-class international standard on the global stage of Expo 2020, including two AR Rahman concerts, a special show for International Women’s Day on 8 March 2021, plus a number of other events and performances across the site.

Marjan Faraidooni, Chief Pavilions and Exhibitions Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “The Firdaus Studio by AR Rahman and the Firdaus Women’s Orchestra are both inspiring projects that will be responsible for so much creativity in the run-up to Expo 2020, during the event, and for many years afterwards. Music brings the world together – this project is doing that in every sense, and is a true celebration of Expo 2020’s theme of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.”

The studio and orchestra will both benefit from Rahman’s decades of experience at the pinnacle of the music business in Bollywood, Hollywood and beyond, during which he has won numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards (Oscars) and two Grammy Awards.

Rahman is perhaps most famous for his soundtrack to hit movie Slumdog Millionaire, after rising to prominence thanks to his pioneering fusion of traditional orchestra arrangements and modern music, becoming one of India’s best-selling recording artists.

AR Rahman said: “This world-leading studio will attract the cream of the industry to Dubai. Working with the most exciting female musical talents of the region, the Firdaus Women’s Orchestra will enable Dubai to become a focal point for making ground-breaking new music, and I look forward to being part of that.”

A total of 100 women will be chosen for face-to-face auditions in Dubai, with 50 selected for a role in the orchestra. Rehearsals will begin in summer 2020, and those selected will be based in Dubai for the duration of Expo 2020.

The Firdaus Studio by AR Rahman and the Firdaus Women’s Orchestra are among countless exciting cultural elements that will help Expo 2020 present The World’s Greatest Show of human brilliance and achievement.

Expo 2020 Dubai, which runs from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, will be the first World Expo and largest event ever to be held in the region.

Female musicians from intermediate to semi-professional level are invited to apply now for the Firdaus Women’s Orchestra by submitting a video audition via here, which also contains full criteria and information for applications.

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About Expo 2020 Dubai

Expo 2020 Dubai will bring together millions of people for The World’s Greatest Show, celebrating human brilliance and achievement under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.

  • The six months from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021 will be a moment in time to be part of an unparalleled event. We are extending a warm Emirati welcome to the world:
    • 25 million visits are expected, with many visitors expected to come more than once
    • 70 per cent of visitors anticipated to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 169-year history of World Expos
  • An entertaining global celebration with something for everyone, Expo 2020 will wow visitors with 60 daily events across 173 days, showcasing the best of music, technology, creativity and culture, while 200 F&B outlets will feature famous chefs and cuisine from every corner of the world
  • Expo 2020 will be an endless journey of discovery. Visitors will have access to the latest innovations and breakthroughs, with more than 200 participants – including 192 nations, multilateral organisations, businesses and educational institutions – coming together to highlight real-life solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges
  • Expo 2020’s sub-themes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability will inspire visitors to make a conscious effort to think and live differently, and give them renewed optimism that, through collaboration, it is possible to make a lasting change to the world
  • The first World Expo to take place in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) will be located on a 4.38 sqkm site adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South

Media Accreditation and Media Information System, Tawassul

Expressions of interest for Expo 2020 Media Accreditation are still open via the Media Information System, Tawassul.

Tawassul is regularly updated, providing the latest content assets, including press releases, photographs, audio and video, the electronic media kit, and information on broadcast and photography operations. It also provides you with important information and updates on facilities and services such as media accreditation, relevant visa information for international accredited media and permits.

To kick off your journey with Expo 2020, please ensure that you:

  • Register to access Tawassul at https://media.expo2020dubai.com.
  • Once registered, submit an Expo 2020 Media Accreditation expression of interest. To attend Expo 2020 or cover Expo 2020 remotely using content and assets generated by Expo, you must be accredited.

For support, contact Expo 2020 Dubai’s Media Operations team at media.services@expo2020.ae  or +971 56 689 2101.

Visit: www.expo2020dubai.com 

Follow: Twitter: @expo2020dubai | Facebook: @Expo2020Dubai | Instagram: expo2020dubai

About World Expos

In 1851 the Crystal Palace was the centrepiece of London’s Great Exhibition – the first World Expo. It celebrated the man-made industrial wonders of a rapidly changing world. Architecture, contents and a theme, ‘Industry of All Nations’, were combined to create a big idea of nations meeting nations in shared technological and commercial progress. In more recent years, participants in World Expos, including governments, international organisations and companies, have gathered to find solutions to universal challenges and to promote their achievements, products, ideas, innovations, their national brand, and their nations as destinations for tourism, trade and investment.

World Expos are held under the auspices of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental organisation responsible for overseeing and regulating international exhibitions (‘Expos’) and for fostering their core values of Education, Innovation and Cooperation. Today, four types of Expos are organised under the BIE’s auspices: World Expos, Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos and the Triennale di Milano.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Press Office                                                              Rania Moussly | Nora Feidi

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Email: press.office@expo2020.ae                                rania.moussly@bcw-global.com  | nora.feidi@bcw-global.com 
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